Dakota Beacon

Fact. Our rich English language affords nuance and clarity in communication. Yet, we frequently speak obliquely, hinting at what we mean without actually saying it. Too often our speech falls victim to a gratingly vulgar and colloquial discourse. Result? Thoughts and ideas get lost in the message.

When playing with words, I once told my granddaughter, “Clean them off, put them on the shelf, and save them for later.” In other words, grow and preserve your vocabulary.

Building a vocabulary can be enjoyable as well beneficial. You need not advertise or show off. Just do it.

What follows are some words I now use, I used to use, or I have never used. For the fun of it, here is my selection.

Calumny (KAL-um-nee): a false or defamatory accusation deliberately intended to hurt another person’s reputation. Typically these are freely uttered during political campaigns.

Catholicon (keh-THAL-a-kon): something that is a cure-all or panacea.

Lucubration (loo-kyoo-BRAY-shun): any study, literary work, or scholarly work particularly an elaborate one.

Meretricious (mer-uh-TRISH-us): gaudy or deceptively attractive; tawdry or having false charms.

Mugwump (pronounced phonetically): a political figure who refuses to follow faithfully the dictates of the party. (My father used to say, “He has his mug on one side of the fence, and his wump on the other.”)

Nostrum (ˈNAH-strum): a nostrum is a medicine prepared by an unqualified person; especially a medicine that is not considered effective. It can also refer to a scheme or remedy for coercing social or political reform.

Prolix (PROH-lix): wordy, profuse, tedious, and long-winded.

Roorback (pronounced phonetically): a defamatory lie about a candidate given wide circulation on the eve of an election.

Sanguine (SANG-gwin): confident, cheerful, and warm; ruddy in complexion. The word originally meant “the color of blood.”

Sanguinary (SANG-gwin-nehr-ee): bloody, murderous, or bloodthirsty. Ah, and the difference between the two words? Both derive from the Latin word “sanguis” meaning blood. So close, and yet so far apart.

Vagary (VAY-gair-ee): a whim or wild fancy.

Vicissitude (vih-SISS-ih-tyood): a constantly occurring change, especially in fortune or condition.

Here are two words I’ve never used and probably never will. I came across them on a Scripture search using Strong’s Concordance and other references seeking a clearer understanding of the word “flesh” (from the Greek “sarx”).

Metonymy (meh-TAH-no-mē): a figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing or concept for that of another to which it is related or of which it is a part; an attribute with which it is associated (such as "crown" in "lands belonging to the crown"). Complicated? Try again: a word that is associated with something used to refer to that thing, as when “crown” is used to mean "king" or "queen," or when Mark Antony asks the people of Rome to “lend him their ears” in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.

Synecdoche (seh-NEK-doh-ky): a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in “Cleveland won by six runs” (meaning “Cleveland's baseball team”).

Do not expect these two words to be used in The Passing Scene.

To nail these and other words in your memory, try using them in conversation. When the other party raises an eyebrow, explain what you are doing. Your explanation provides one more occasion to fasten firmly the word in your mind.

Wit and wisdom are easily conveyed through a rich English vocabulary. As Dr. Samuel Johnson, father of the modern dictionary said, “Language is the dress of thought.” And again, “I am always sorry when any language is lost, because languages are the pedigrees of nations.”

So be it.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).